Hmm... I don't know that I've had a lot of sad moments, but plenty of emotional ones.
Super Metroid
When that metroid died? I was PISSED.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness
Goddamn, when the player character dies, I was on the verge of tears. And then after all the credits and stuff, you come back? Total meltdown.
Bastion
Tanking my way through the final level, making sure I'm at full health for the final showdown with Zulf... only to find him nearly dead on the floor, and given the choice between saving him or myself.... cue best song ever as I dramatic walk through bullet hell.
And probably the games that hit me the most: Drawn To Life/DTL The Next Chapter
The first game is fairly lighthearted, up until the mayor dies. He was the only one to die, and you couldn't make it back in time to save him.
I ran through the level so many times trying to see if I could get through fast enough, but it never changed.
Oh, and I thought that one was bad, in comes Next Chapter with enough shit to fuck you up for years.
Turns out that the entire game is all taking place inside one kid's head.
He's in a coma following a near deadly car crash, and the people within the game are fighting on opposite sides, whether to wake him up and destroy their world, or keep him trapped and continue to live. You represent the side fighting to wake him up, while Wilfre is angry at those who fight alongside you, not realizing that they are actively killing themselves.
One of the major characters in the second game is actually his SISTER, who he manages to register some part of the real world with. Half her face is covered in shadow, and in the real world she is bandaged there. She disappears in the second game, but shows up in dreams urging you to wake Mike. Oh, I forgot to mention. Mike himself is stuck within the world, and has NO IDEA what's going on.
After you defeat the final boss, Mike finds himself next to the eternal flame from the first game. All around him is everyone he knows from this world. One by one they disappear, and heather is heard praying for God to bring Mike back to her.
As the screen goes black, a series of stills appear, depicting the scenes of the crash, and showing you Mari and Jowee as toy dolls they had won from the fair they were coming home from during the crash.
I was breaking down big time during the ending credits.
At the end of the game, you defeat Razorbeard, and the Pirate Prison Ship blows up. The problem is, Rayman was on it when it blew! After victory has been won for the good side, it's a bittersweet moment for them, as they're having a funeral for Rayman, and have placed one of Rayman's feet (the only part of Rayman's body they could find) on a pedestal. Now Rayman does end up walking in on his friends while they're paying their last respects to him, and his foot rejoins with the rest of his body like nothing happened, but it was still on the borderline of emotional for me (six at the time) and my brother (barely ten at the time). In fact, I'm getting just a little bit emotional right now as I'm typing this.
Halo
The death of Echo 419 didn't come easily. I wasn't real sad, but it was a bit of a bummer.
Crysis
First, Aztec gets killed by these mysterious alien type machines. Then Jester gets taken by one of them, flung around, and then killed. It was a bit of a shock for Prophet to be taken as well. You never actually find a dead body, and it turns out later on that he's alive, but he's assumed dead for a sizable period of the game. Again, not extreme, but a bit of a bummer.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Oh man. Just before the final boss, Conker's Girlfriend Berri gets shot to death. Then you get launched into space, and her body gets sucked out into outer space. After the boss has been defeated, Conker makes it to a throne room, and is crowned king, but he doesn't really want that. He just wants to go home with his girlfriend Berri. And he's not happy about that. His ending speech is very emotional, and at age thirteen, I was legitimately struck with depression that lasted for at least a solid thirty minutes after watching that ending cutscene.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Ghost and Roach fought hard to get the DSM secured. Shepherd, one of their allies, arrived onto the scene, and killed both of them, just so that he could take the credit for getting the DSM. That scene was pretty emotional.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
I haven't actually played it, and I've seen little else in this game, but the part that I saw was still emotional. John "Soap" Mactavish dies. He was one of the main characters, and seeing him die like that was quite an emotional moment.
Cave Story
Everyone here is going to know exactly what I'm talking about. When King and Toroko die, it's pretty emotional. When Professor Booster dies, it's quite disturbing. But when Curly Brace died on my first playthrough, it hit me pretty hard. It was in that moment that I began really appreciating how awesome of a game Cave Story was. That was the moment that won me over.
Note that none of these moments made me cry, or even gave me a lumpy throat, as I am quite an emotionally sterile person, but that doesn't mean I don't know an emotional moment when I see one.
EDIT: I added what I think is the recommended age for fully appreciating the emotional/sad moment.
First I'll agree with bobbyis, Super Metroid (7 and up?) was one of the first games I remember actually getting teary eyed... It might even be the first.
The really interesting part about this one, is that the emotional moment required no text.
The Way (18 and up?)
Lexus' death was harsh. I DIDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. SO much so, that I replayed her death and somehow broke the game so it got stuck before her appointed time to die. [I mashed buttons and tried to somehow cause something to happen xD] The Way is an AWESOME game. Playyyyyyy it. Though, the ending chapter was a bit...
Legend of Zelda : Link's Awakening (7 and up?)
Having all the people Link met, being just a dream. An entire people disappear as if nothing happened... Marian... D:
I am sure I got a bit teary for this one...
Iji (14 and up?)
Well, I wasn't greatly affected at all; but I really felt for Iji. Dan's death was pretty harsh on her.
Everything about that game was amazing the first time... I had a powerful connection with that game.
Not Cave Story
lol I mean, I wanted to say, Toroko's death made me unhappy. (King : And what about me!?) Before that point the game was pretty happy go lucky; I wasn't taking things seriously. But, with her death and being tossed into the quiet Labyrinth to think about what I did wrong [I reset the game to try to find a way to save her lol].
It wasn't a strong emotional hit, but it was an important Cave Story moment!
EDIT:
When you say emotional/sad you mean negative emotional moments I guess? I originally had a few positive emotional moment examples :
Final Fantasy VIII, I'm pretty sure had some really strong moments. (17 and up?)
I don't know if they were necessarily sad, but they were emotionally powerful moments; greater than any other Final Fantasy game I've played and Super Metroid. It was overly dramatic, but at the time it was great because I was the same age as Squall...
I can't remember it too clearly now, but I believe it was when he went into space, and nearly died. And when they were reunited and returning to earth. [A video might have been involved!]
Also, the ending videos were some of the best I've seen in any game.
To add one youtube video to display an emotional moment (à la TrickyBilly), not sad but could get you teary :
Odin Sphere is a good example, Gwendolyn's route ending.
Though there is a type of games that DESTROYS normal games in terms of powerful emotional/sad moments... Visual Novels. Some of these games had me BAWLING. Punched my PC in shock, WHYYYYYYYY!!! Totally scarring sadness levels. I absolutely loved them though.
Utawarerumono (21 and up)
If you go into the game without any spoilers, and have not seen the anime... There is a really strong family element in this game.
The secret to this game is it builds up such an intimate sense of family in a fantasy world that you really connect to the large cast of characters. Also, the great length, tied with visuals and music...
There are like 8 short stupid H-scenes in this game though. Stupid because they have no reason for being there, and have no affect on the story whatsoever. It's just fan-service. The PS2 versions scenes would have been better suited, but nobody translated them/put them in...
^One of my favorite all time fantasy games though.
For the actual spoilers, if you played the game somehow :
During the raid when little Aruruw was attacked and seemingly killed. God... even now I get a little watery just thinking about it. The anime didn't begin to do this scene any justice.
There was another moment I believe involved Aruruw as well... But, I can't remember it...?
Hmm... I am sure it wasn't the Tuskur scene... Where was it...
Phantom of Inferno (17 and up)
My first visual novel. It had a particular BAD ENDING moment that destroyed me completely. OH MY. Although, to be fair, the game actually froze up at the PERFECT mind-destroying moment. I didn't realize that it wasn't over when it did. But, I had never felt a greater emotional impact from a game then at that moment. That's when I knew this type of game had something special to offer.
For the actual spoiler if you've played it somehow :
At the end of chapter one, I really connected to Ein. I wanted to save her from the terrible situation she had gotten into. It seemed like things were going fine... until things started going wrong...
And at the end, when she stepped in front of gun; taking the bullet meant for the one that had been hurting her. That was... that was...
Like a nightmare! And to top it off, just before the game paused up, and the character is in a daze... Why Elen...
Those people Zwei works for, have seen everything and congratulate you on killing her. They now name you the top assassin. Congratulations. [He had tried so hard to save her... to escape together, and now he kills her? When he was trying to kill the one who had done everything to her?? At that moment when despair and disbelief kicks in, that's when the game paused up perfectly at the end of the scene. Making me think, you chose the wrong choices....
BAD END.
That was the ultimate bad ending experience ever. Painful!
G-senjou no Maou (18 and up)
This game had a few decently powerful moments. I cried a little D:
Basically near the end of each character route there was a powerful scene coupled with good music that touched me.
Tsubaki had the confrontation scene, where she changes the players heart; and sets your mind to standing up to your killer family.
Kanon had the determination of waking up on the day before the competition with reborn spirit.
Mitsuki? had the reunion scene, where sisters are reunited; and roles are reversed...
And Haru had her past that you had forgotten, solidifying the bond that had formed throughout the game. [I really hated her in the beginning! But, by the end she was the best character...]
The final ending part I didn't really understand. It must be something about the mindset in Japan...
He was sent to jail for killing the mastermind that brought about the slaughter of countless people. It was your brother and it was basically self-defense. Who wouldn't understand?!
Instead he lies about what happens, and says mean things to push the ones he loves away to protect his lie to the police. o_o It was a powerful ending, but it seemed highly unnecessary to me.
Planetarian (14 and up)
Super short game.
When she dies at the end. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
though there is the small hope of that memory disk...
Ever17 (14 and up)
Had some spots that were pretty sad. Namely Tsugumi's ending. Lot of good scenes in this game though...
YU-NO (18 and up)
There were some deaths that were pretty heart-wrenching. Amazing older adventure game...
I was sad at the little ending montage at the end when I was ten(the background music didn't help either).
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days:
I practically bawled my eyes out when Xion died.
Infamous:
I kinda felt sad for Cole after he killed his past self's wife to try and prepare him for the Big enemy that came in the sequel
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep:
It was bittersweet when Terra practically chose darkness and let it consume him, Aqua was sucked into the Realm of Darkness, and Ventus lost his heart(sweet in that, his heart found it's way in to the heart of the series protagonist, Sora).
EDIT:
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
I finished the game just last month and I felt sad for Link when he woke up 'cause that meant that Marin doesn't exist.
Prof. Booster's death fucked me up. I mean, its sad enough that he had to die, but that music from the first cave just made it worse. At least you can save him..
Ark dies as a reward for saving the world because his existence was tied with that of the big bad.
Elle's betrayal.
Yomi's betrayal.
Your animal friends in Safarium get imprisoned as a reward for upgrading SunCoast. Yay?
You either save Nirlake and promote growth at the expense of all the farmers who lived there or leave it in its burnt state at the expense of everyone who lived there. There's no path you can take though this game that doesn't have negative consequences.
Not being able to talk to animals after resurrecting humankind.
The mountain goat during the avalanche.
Ark's homecoming.
Ark's pre-death homecoming.
Mother 3: When Lucas's mother Hinawa dies. This is in the beginning of the game!
Also when you have to fight Claus(Hence my picture.) at the end of the game.
Edit by DT: Or you can hide them, but this doesn't work well if you want to link things
Coulda sworn a thread like this already existed, but oh well!
Mevon said:
Sorry for spoiling them. Really sorry. I mean it.
Mother 3: When Lucas's mother Hinawa dies. This is in the beginning of the game!
Also when you have to fight Claus(Hence my picture.) at the end of the game.
You DO know we have spoiler tags, right? You don't have to apologize for spoiling if you just use them
Anyway, a lot of things in video games get to me because I am a crybaby.
Final Fantasy
X: When Tidus jumps off the ship
VIII: The ending scene. It's just so beautiful
Bastion
Not only does the ending song make me tear up, but seeing the picture of Zulf and his wife struck a big nerve for me
Fatal Frame II
The butterfly (normal) ending. When Mio has to kill Mayu and then her spirit flies away as a butterfly and Mio chases after it. It made me cry for hours
I actually can't think of anymore at the moment. Oh well.
Mevon pretty much beat me. The Mother series for Japan (Mother, Mother 2, Mother 3 A.K.A Earthbound zero, Earthbound, Earthbound 2) is really good.
Even though only the second game was released, and is rare to find on the SNES
I'm going to try and think of all the games I played/saw that had sad/touching parts
Cave Story:
Everyone knows the deal here, Curly dieing (preventable), Booster dieing (preventable), King and Toroko dieing (preventable by Hayden Studios hack/mod of CS)...
In the first Red/Blue, you have to leave your partner without letting him know until it's already too late. The same happens in Darkness/Time/Sky except that someone make's a sacrifice
The Walking Dead:
I haven't played this, but I saw a video and my god the ending the video I watched was freaking sad.
After that, I haven't played that many games that I can recall.
And Huzzah, after reading an informative post, I learned how to do the spoiler tags.
There are a few others that give me a sad, but for the time being I'll give special mention to
Cinnabar Island in the 2nd gen remakes. Much as I didn't really like them, putting in this remix in place of the generic town music was a touch I sincerely appreciated.
It's quite a sad game. The biggest hit was the character development that was put into Claus and Hinawa.
2. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue and Sky
The whole dying without your partner knowing thing kinda wrecked me. Worse than Mother 3. The partner is devastated to the point of reviving you by praying.
Cave Story wasn't really THAT emotional. If more time was put in to Curly, it would have been quite sad. Attachment to characters is how you get emotion from the player. But Cave Story was pretty sad when the deaths happened
I gotta agree with you on Curly. I was sorta bummed but I never felt a connection. King and Toroko's affected me more, but not to the point of depression or tears though
That part before the final colossus where your horse falls off and you assume he's dead.
Also in that game, just the ending in general, the last piece of gameplay where you try to run towards the girl, but keep getting pushed back. It just conveys sadness.
